Lens-cutting machine.



G. w. FowLE. LENS CUTTING MACHINE.

(No Model.) l

(Application filed Nov. 29, 1901.)

'Patented Mar'.- 25, |902 2' Sheets-Sheet I.

v K A TroHNEr Tn: Nnnms PETERS co.. Mommmo., WASHINGTON, u. c.

No. 696,|68. Patented Mar. 25, |902.

G. W. FOWLE.

LENS CUTTING MACHINE.

(Application filed NQv. 29, 1901.)

' (N0 HUBL) 2 Sheets--Sheei 2.

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/NvE/vro n afewyemfbwk @ma ATTORNEY .UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WV. FOWLE, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE COLUMBUSPI-IARMACAL COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEV JERSEY.

LENS-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,168, dated March25, 1902.

Application led November 29, 1901. Serial No. 84,027. (No model.)

T a/ZZ whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE W. FowLE, a `citizen of the United States,residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lens-Cutting Machines,of which the following is a specification.

My invention Vrelates to the improvement of lens-cutting machines, andhas particular rero lation to the improvement of the mechanism 'formingthe subject of Patent No. 673,988 to Lewis O. Linville, issued underdate of May 14, 1901.

The objects of my invention are to provide f15 an improvedlens-cuttingmachine of this class of superior construction andarrangement of parts; to so construct the same as'to so arrange the sameas to secure desirable accuracy in 'construction and operation; toprovide im- -2o 'proved means of adjustment whereby lenses may beaccurately cut to desi-red outlines or sizes; to provide improved meansfor supporting and adjusting the cutting-diamond, 'and to produce otherimprovements the de- 72 5 'tails of construction and arrangement ofparts of which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter. These objectsI accomplish in the 'mannerillustratedin the accompanying drawings, inwhich v vFigure 1 is a side elevation of my improved fmachine. Fig.k 2is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section online x as of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end view. Fig. 5 is a transversesection on line y y of Fig. 1.

5 Fig 6 is a detail plan View of one` of the ,pat-

'tern-cams shown in conjunctionwith a por- 'tion of one of thecutter-.operating bars. Fig. '7 is a central sectional view of aleatherdisk having a concaved face. Fig. 8 is a similar f4'o 'view of a leatherdisk having a convexed face.

Fig. 9 is a face view ofan uncut lens, showing the lines markingabifocal lens thereon. Fig. *10 isa similar View showing the linesmarking the cement-scales of a bifocal lens. Fig.

45 11 is a view in perspective of an uncut cylinder lens, showing thelens outline thereon; land Fig. 12 is a side elevation of thepattern-cam and its stem.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts :5o bthroughout the severalviews.

In carrying out my invention I employ an oblong frame or table 1, havingsuitable supporting-legsv 2. Journaled in an opening in the forwardportion of the frame or table 1 is the upwardly-extending hub or hollowstem portion 3 of a bevel gear-wheels. Extending into the hollow of thehub 3 is the downwardly-extending central stem of a patterncam 5, thelower end` of said stem being squared to properly engage the centralsquared opening of the gear-Wheel 4 and the head of said pattern-cambeing in the form of an ellipse or partial ellipse or of a formcorresponding with a desired contour of lens.

The cam 5 is provided, as indicated in Figs. 3

and G of the drawings, with upwardly-projecting fixed pins 6, said pinsbeing adapted to detachably engage corresponding pin-sockets in theunder side ofa horizontally-arranged circular lens-table 7, saidlens-table having its upper face provided with a circular depressioninto which is adapted to be fitted a disk of leather or similar materialS.

.llournaled and keyed to slide horizontally on the under side of the topplate of the table l is a shaft 9. This shaft carries thereon abevel-pinion 10, the teeth of which mesh with those of the gear-Wheel 4.On its outer end the shaft 9 carries a suitable hand-wheel 1l.

In constructing my improved machine -I provide on the upper side thereoftoward its rear end araisedlongitudinally-arranged bed-plate 12, thelatter having a central longitudinal guideway or groove 13, the upperside opening of which is reduced by the employment on opposite sidesthereofof parallel plates 14., the inner edges of which project slightlyover the sides of said guideway. In the guideway thus formed is alongitudinally movable or reciprocating bar l5, the latter having alongitudinally-slotted opening 16 formed therein. Upon the forward endof this bar is pivotally mounted a small friction-wheel17,

Vthe periphery of'which is adaptedto bear against the periphery of thecam 5. This friction-wheel 17 is normally retained in contact with saidcam through the medium of a spring 18, one end of which is connectedwith the lower end of a downwardly-projecting pin 19 of the bar 15 andthe remaining end of which IOO is fixed to the under side of theframe-top 1. The pin 19 extends through a slotted opening 20 in saidframe-top. On the upper side of the bar 15 and Within the guideway 13'isprovided a horizontal plate or bar 2l, which is slidably supported insaid guideway and which is adjustably connected with the bar 16 throughthe medium of a set or thumb screw 22. From the bar21 rises theupwardlyextending portion of an angular arm 23, the forwardly-extendin gportion of said arm normally terminating over the lens-table 7 and beingprovided with a vertical barrel or cylinder 24, through which passesvertically a plunger-rod 25, the latter being surrounded within thecylinder 24 by a spring 26, the lower end of which is suitably securedin the lower end portion of said cylindrical arm and the upper end ofwhich is made fast to a rod 25. rlhe upper end of the plunger 25 isprovided with a suitable head or linger piece 25 and the lower end ofsaid plunger is adapted to carryaglass-cutting diamond-point 27. Asindicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, one of the plates 14 has its upperside or face graduated or provided with scale-marks indicating fractionsof inches.

Pivotally connected with the table-top at one side of the center of thewidth thereof is one end of the horizontal foot 2S of an angu- `lar arm29, which rises from said foot in the manner indicated in the drawings.The nnpivoted end portion of the foot 28 is provided with a side notchor recess 30, which is adapted to be made to engage the shank of aprojecting pin or screw 31, and thus latch the arm 29 in such positionthat its forwardly-extending and inwardly-curved portion terminatesimmediately over the center of the disk 7. This forward termination ofthe arm 29 is provided with a vertical cylindrical head or barrel 32,within which is provided a springactuated plunger or vertical centeri11g-pin 33, the pointed lower end of which is normally held down or incontact with the center of the disk 8.

Pivoted eccentricall y to one side of the base of the arm 23 is therounded head or cam termination of a lever 35, the cam-head beingadapted when the lever is pressed downward to produce a frictional lockwith the surface of one of the plates 14.

As indicated in the drawings, the periphery of the lens-table 7 isknurled or roughened to facilitate the turning of the same. It will alsobe seen that upon the upper face of the lens-table and on the marginthereof I have provided the degree marks or graduations, such as areindicated at 7n.

In order to illustrate the operation of my improved lens-cuttingmachine, I will assume that it is desired to cut a lens of a size andcharacter previously prescribed by an oculist. In carrying out thisoperation the usual preliminary steps are first taken of obtaining theaxis of the lens and marking the terminals of the same at oppositepoints on thc uncut lens.

The glass or uncut lens is then placed on the lens-table 7 and held infrictional engagement therewith through pressure of the center pin orplunger 33, the latter bearing on the optical center of the lens. Nowfollowing the formula or prescription of the oculist the uncut lens ismoved until its axis-marks register with the degree-marks 7 n of thelens-table called for in the prescription. The set4 or clamping screw 22being loosened, the bar 2l and its arm 23 are moved horizontally until apredetermined point on said bar is opposite that graduation-mark of oneof the plates 14 which corresponds to the size of lens required by theprescription. The set-screw is now tightened to secure a rigidconnection of the bars 15 and 2l. The cutting of the lens is Anowcarried out by depressing with a finger of one hand the spring-actuateddiamond-carrying plunger 25 until the diamond is in proper contact withthe surface of the uncut lens and turning the hand-wheel 11 with theother hand, the result being the rotation of the lens-table 7 and thecutting on the lines of the desired ellipse. this operation the movementof the diamondcarrying arm 23 will be controlled by the movement of thereciprocating bar 15 and that the backward-and-forward movement of thelatter will be controlled by the contour of the pattern-cam with whichthe frictionwheel 17 is in contact. In case the lens to be produced iswhat is known as a cylinder7 lens, such as is indicated in Fig. 11 ofthe drawings, it is obvious that the pressure of the finger upon thespring-actuated plunger 25 may be regulated so as to insure a desirableuniform engagement or contact of the diamond and glass with the convexedsurface of the lens throughout the cut. In order to cut a circular lens,the set-screw 22 is loosened aud the arm 23 is moved to a point whichwill bringthe diamond opposite a point on the glass the distance betweenwhich and the center pin 33 is equal to one-half the diameter of thecircle desired. This being accomplished, the lever 35 is presseddownward until, by frictional engagement of its head and one of theplates 14, the arm 23 is locked in the position to which the samehasbeen previously moved. The diamond-holding plunger is nowr depressedand the lens-table rotated, with the result that a perfect circle of thedesired size is scratched upon the glass. In a somewhat-similar mannerit is obvious that my improved machine may be employed for cuttingwhatis known as bifocal lenses, such as indicated at 35 in Fig. 9 of thedrawings, or the cement-scales indicated at 36 in Fig. 10. In producingthebifocal lens 35 the desired size of elliptical lens 37 is firstscratchedA in the manner hereinbefore described, after which thecenter-pin-carrying arm 29 is thrown outward away from the lenstable andthe scratched line of the elliptical lens so placed as to intersect thecenter of the lens-table. It will be seen that the operation It isobvious that in IIO of cutting the bifocal section from the lens 37 isaccomplishedl by settingithe arm 23 as inthe process of 'cutting thecircle, inasmuch as the cut necessaryrto produceithe bifccal section isin the arc of a circle.

As shown in Figs. 7 and S of the drawings, the leather disk 8 may haveits upper bearingsurface concaved or formed lconvexed to conform1tolthecurvature of the uncut lens` glass and retain the surface of the latterin contact with the surface of said disk.

From the construction and operationherein described it will be seen thatwhile the re-v sults obtained aresimilarto those show n in theheretofore-mentioned patent to Lewis O. Linville the means for movablysupporting the friction-wheel-carrying bar and the diamond-carrying arm33 are 'such as to obviate the necessity of employing a Vbearing-framefor these parts, and likewise the necessity of forming in said -frameaccurately-arranged.

bearing-points such as are required in the be- -fore-mentioned patent.

` with afi-ame l having a horizontalguideway thereon, a rotarylens-table mountedl` therein `and a pattern-cam carriedbysaid table, ofa spring-actuated reciprocatingbar 15 `mountedvin said guideway, afriction-Wheel mounted in the forward end thereof, a` bar 21 adjustablyconnected with said bar l'and an arm 23 risingcfromthe bar21 and adiamond-carrying spring-actuated :plunger supported in saidarm,substantially as specied.

- GEORGE W. FOWLE.

In presence off- C. C. SHEPHERD,

A. L. PHELPs,

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